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Article ON FREEMASONRY. ← Page 3 of 13 →
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On Freemasonry.
the arts for which mankind were indebted to his prolific genius . — " I found them , " says he , " dwelling in dismal caverns , which the sun never enlightened with its beams , mansions more fit for the dead than the living ; equally ignorant of the seasons , and unskilful in cultivating our common mother the earth . I instructed them to build houses with
timber and stone ;—I taught , them the course of the stars , and how to till the ground;—I taught them numbers , and that surpassing science , ( he knowledge of hieroglyphical characters to serve for speech;—to tame the ox and steed , and bow their stubborn necks to the yoke . I gave them ships to bear their commerce to the distant shores of the earth ;
imparted the secret virtues of herbs and plants ; and taught them divination , signs and symbols , omens and augury ; and , chief of all , explained the art of extracting gold and silver , brass and iron , from the ground ; and of fabricating instruments for ornament and use . " To the Cabirean Lodges , mankind were indebted for much
of the useful knowledge they possessed ; and from their connexion with the spurious Freemasonry , the Cabiri were accounted magicians , who could sway the councils , and wield the thunders of the gods . And hence these remarkable men were subsequently esteemed the greatest deities , because tradition had magnified the exploits which they had performed , and the power which they really exercised ; and the initiated into their mysteries were deemed secure from all temporal dangers and adversities .
From them proceeded all the wonders of the Cyclopean Masonry ; and the most remarkable structures that adorned the ancient world , may be ascribed to their predominant genius . There is , indeed , scarcely a country in existence , how insignificant soever it may appear in the history of the times when it flourished , but retains traces of the skill and science of our ancient Brethren . In Egypt particularly , the royal art achieved some most extraordinary performances , which merit notice .
I he reputed founder of Egyptian science was Thoth , the grandson of Ham . He was an able architect , and was surnamed by the Greeks Hermes , for his pre-eminent talents . He improved the arts which were preserved by the Noachidae , and amcngst the rest—Masonry . Being of an active and enterprising genius , he was indefatigable in the pursuit of knowledge , and the stores of learning and science , by deep and laborious research , were unfolded to his view . His
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
On Freemasonry.
the arts for which mankind were indebted to his prolific genius . — " I found them , " says he , " dwelling in dismal caverns , which the sun never enlightened with its beams , mansions more fit for the dead than the living ; equally ignorant of the seasons , and unskilful in cultivating our common mother the earth . I instructed them to build houses with
timber and stone ;—I taught , them the course of the stars , and how to till the ground;—I taught them numbers , and that surpassing science , ( he knowledge of hieroglyphical characters to serve for speech;—to tame the ox and steed , and bow their stubborn necks to the yoke . I gave them ships to bear their commerce to the distant shores of the earth ;
imparted the secret virtues of herbs and plants ; and taught them divination , signs and symbols , omens and augury ; and , chief of all , explained the art of extracting gold and silver , brass and iron , from the ground ; and of fabricating instruments for ornament and use . " To the Cabirean Lodges , mankind were indebted for much
of the useful knowledge they possessed ; and from their connexion with the spurious Freemasonry , the Cabiri were accounted magicians , who could sway the councils , and wield the thunders of the gods . And hence these remarkable men were subsequently esteemed the greatest deities , because tradition had magnified the exploits which they had performed , and the power which they really exercised ; and the initiated into their mysteries were deemed secure from all temporal dangers and adversities .
From them proceeded all the wonders of the Cyclopean Masonry ; and the most remarkable structures that adorned the ancient world , may be ascribed to their predominant genius . There is , indeed , scarcely a country in existence , how insignificant soever it may appear in the history of the times when it flourished , but retains traces of the skill and science of our ancient Brethren . In Egypt particularly , the royal art achieved some most extraordinary performances , which merit notice .
I he reputed founder of Egyptian science was Thoth , the grandson of Ham . He was an able architect , and was surnamed by the Greeks Hermes , for his pre-eminent talents . He improved the arts which were preserved by the Noachidae , and amcngst the rest—Masonry . Being of an active and enterprising genius , he was indefatigable in the pursuit of knowledge , and the stores of learning and science , by deep and laborious research , were unfolded to his view . His